Ice Ice Baby
by PSawyerLove
Summary: Sawyer discovers her favorite sport. Drama ensues as Sawyer discovers the figure skating world. Follows the Scott family in their lives after season 9. Rated T for minor suggestive Leyton scenes. Peyton's POV. Writing improves as story progresses.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, settings, or plots recognizable from One Tree Hil**

1

"I wanna be like her, Momma!" Sawyer's tiny hands clapped as she watched figure skater Ashley Wagner zoom across the screen, skating to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd.

Sawyer, Lucas, and I had recently moved back to Tree Hill. After realizing how much we missed our friends and family, we'd decided that it was time to take a break in our travels with Karen and Andy so that we could be with everyone once again. Sawyer was going to be four in about 5 months, and I wanted her to have a permanent home and be able to get settled in before she was to start preschool in the fall. Lucas had started coaching basketball at Tree Hill High once again, a job which Nathan now shared with him part time, and I was helping Haley a bit more with Red Bedroom Records.

Sawyer and I were busy watching the Winter Olympics that were currently taking place in Sochi, Russia. The ladies short program was on this morning, and my daughter and I were both mesmerized by the sheer athleticism of these gorgeous, talented girls. The fact that Ashley Wagner was skating to Pink Floyd made Sawyer and I appreciate her even more.

"Momma, I wanna try ice skating! Please Momma!"

"Are you sure, baby? These girls make it look easy, but I'm sure it's very hard."

"It will be soooo fun! Please please please?!" Sawyer smiled as she watched Ashley gracefully give a bow and exit the ice to the Kiss and Cry, the box where the skaters waited for their scores.

"Alright baby," I picked up my laptop from the coffee table and opened the search engine, "Let me check out that website that has a map of where the basic skills programs are." Once at the website, I typed in our location and found a rink on the other side of town. "Alright, baby. I'm signing you up for the eight-week beginners' Snowplow class." I announced as I filled out Sawyer's information. I was proud of her for showing interest in a sport. I was really hoping that she'd stick with it. I'd heard that figure skating was one of the most expensive sports out there, but I knew the money from Lucas's books, royalties from Julian's show, and what I made from producing would support it.

"Can I get my own skates too, Momma?" Sawyer asked, turning her large, blue eyes on me.

"If you really, really like it after the first class, then yes." I smiled as I closed my laptop. "It starts next week, sweetie."

"Yay!" Sawyer clapped excitedly before walking over to the coffee table and pulling out a piece of paper from the stack I kept for her to draw on. She grabbed her pencil box and started to draw.

"Watcha drawing, baby?" I asked leaning over to see her art.

"It me skating!" I smiled as she showed me the drawing for a moment before she continued. My girl was so talented, I couldn't help but be so proud of everything she did. She was the perfect baby.

"That's very good, sweetie! You'll have to show Daddy when he gets home."

Sawyer didn't stop talking about Ice skating all day. She had me hang her drawing on the fridge and continued to draw Ashley Wagner, and her other favorite, Gracie Gold. She even had me tie her beautiful curly blonde hair into a bun and help her find a skirt to make her look like one of the Olympians.

After the ladies event was over, we sat with my laptop and watched videos of skating, singles, pairs, ice dance, and synchronized skating. Seeing a video of the Haydenettes, a synchronized skating team, made me wonder why that discipline of ice skating wasn't in the Olympics yet. Sawyer also fell in love with ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who were the favorites for the ice dancing gold medal in a few days.

"I have an idea, Sawyer. Since we can't go to the rink today, let's put on socks and slide around in the hallway!" I loved finding fun things to do with Sawyer, anything to make her happy.

"Yeah!" Sawyer scampered up the stairs to her room and I followed close behind. "These, Momma! They're white like ice skates!" She pulled on her socks and ran back out to the hall.

"Woah there, we're going downstairs because I don't want yo to slide down the steps!" I chuckled, catching my rambunctious child as she ran past. We went downstairs and I turned on our Disney playlist.

"I've got a dream, I've got a dream, I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam!" Sawyer and I sang along obnoxiously as we twirled and spun. Sawyer pretended to do turns and crossovers like the Olympians.

"Wanna do a triple axel, Sawyer?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" I grabbed Sawyer and spun her around in the air three and a half times before setting her down. "Yay! That was SOOO FUN! Maybe I'll be able to do it on my own one day!"

We then heard Lucas's car pull into the driveway, and Sawyer slid over to the door to greet him. I smiled to myself as she scampered away, proud of my little girl's ambitions. I watched from the kitchen entryway as Lucas came in the door and scooped Sawyer up into a hug.

"How's my little princess today?"

"Daddy Daddy Daddy! Im gonna be an ice skater! I start next week!"

"Oh really? Is that true, Peyton?" Lucas glanced toward me, his smoldering eyes melting my heart as they always did.

"Yep. She really wanted to try it out, and I figured she should start experimenting with sports anyway." I strode over to my husband and gave him a little peck on the lips before taking Sawyer out of his arms and setting her on the floor. "Let's go show Daddy your drawings." She nodded with a huge smile on her face and skipped off to kitchen, Lucas and I followed slowly behind.

"Ice Skating? That's pretty unique." Lucas commented.

"She really loved watching it today, I think she could be good at it, especially since she's starting so young. But all that matters is that I want her to find something she loves to do."

"You're such a good mom, Peyton. You know that?" Lucas commented, putting his arm around my waist.

"Random, but thank you." I said with a smile, turning to kiss him.

"Really, you are," he said after our kiss, "All you care about is her happiness and that's really great, babe."

"I love her to death. I'd do anything for our baby girl, soon to be girls and boy." I placed my hand lovingly on my abdomen. I was three months pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. The only people who knew about them were Lucas and Brooke. It was even more exciting because Brooke was five months along with her own daughter. We were already hoping for our little girls to become best friends like we were.

"Look, Daddy!" Sawyer pointed up at the three drawings on the fridge.

"Very good, princess! I'm proud!" Lucas scooped her up once again and brought us both into a hug. "I love my girls!"

"We love you too, Daddy!" Sawyer threw her arms around Lucas's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

After putting Sawyer to bed, Lucas and I laid in bed, both exhausted from entertaining our crazy three-year-old. She always got pretty wild around 6 o'clock and would wear all of us out. It was usually about 9 by the time we were all in bed. Sometimes Lucas and I would use the quiet time to our advantage, but now that I was pregnant and my morning sickness often came at night, we usually would lay in bed and talk, which I really enjoyed.

"So our girl is going to be a figure skater. Wow." Lucas turned on his side and wrapped his arm around me.

"If she likes it, which I really hope she does."

"We could have the girl skate with her, and put the boy in hockey and be one of those crazy skating families." Lucas lovingly placed his hand on my barely visible baby bump and pressed his forehead to mine.

"The boy could be a figure skater too. Those men in the Olympics have great asses."

"You'd better watch it, Mrs. Scott." Lucas joked before kissing my neck.

"You have no idea how much I want you, Luke, but I'm about to puke my guts out so-"


	2. Chapter 2

2

It had been a week since Sawyer's discovery of ice skating. Her first group lesson was tonight and she was running around the house like a crazy person. She was bouncing off the walls, signing her favorite songs and twirling around pretending to skate to whatever she was singing. She was so excited to get on the ice and that her daddy had taken off basketball to come watch her skate for the first time. Nathan had agreed to have Skills take Luke's JV team for the day so that Lucas could be there for Sawyer.

Because of being abandoned by Dan, Lucas was determined to be a great dad, and so far he was doing an excellent job. He always tried to put Sawyer and I before anything else, and he made sure to let us know each and every day that he loved us. Sawyer was definitely a Daddy's girl, and Lucas would do anything for her. Lucas was such an amazing person, and I was so happy with how my life was turning out with him. I knew he really wanted at least one son, and I was glad that he would be getting one in just six short months, along with his second daughter.

"Sawyer Scott, it's 5:00, time to get ready!" I called as I set out a suitable outfit for Sawyer's first lesson. I'd chosen to have her wear two layers of leggings, a long sleeve shirt, and two jackets. I wasn't sure how she would handle the cold rink, and since it was October, I had to make sure she was warm. I also had her favorite Care-bear blanket ready in the car for afterward.

"I'm here Momma!" Sawyer announced as she skipped into her room, Lucas following close behind.

"Peyton, you should rest, I can take care of her, okay?"

"Lucas I'm only three months along, I'll be fine." He was very concerned about me, especially because of how my pregnancy with Sawyer had gone. He insisted on calling me every three hours when he had to work all day, and he would constantly ask me how I was feeling. It was sweet that he cared, but it wasn't necessary this early on in the pregnancy.

"You look tired, babe, you do so much! Just sit in the rocking chair for a bit, okay? You can still see Sawyer from there, so you won't be missing anything."

"Yeah, Momma. Daddy want you to take a break." Sawyer's adorable baby voice chimed in. She was always one to have her opinion heard.

"Alright," I threw my hands up in surrender, "You guys win! I still get to put her hair up, though."

"Fair enough," Lucas chuckled as he started to get Sawyer dressed.

Once he was done dressing her, I brushed her pretty, pure platinum-blonde pin-curls up into high pigtails. I added Sawyer's favorite pink bows to each. I loved doing my beautiful baby's hair. I never thought I'd love being a mom as much as I did now.

"Alright, Sawyer Scott! Ready for your first time ice skating?" I asked as I scooped her up into my arms.

"Ready, Momma!" Sawyer cheered as the three of us headed out to the car.

The rink was only about 10 minutes away, but the drive was there was both stressful and heart warming. Sawyer would not stop chattering about skating. She was so excited, but as her over protective mother I couldn't help but be nervous for her. I wanted for her to end up loving it and not be disappointed if it didn't live up to her expectations. I was also terrified that she was going to fall and get hurt.

I'd recently been reading some blogs and websites with articles written by mothers of young skaters. One said that starting young allowed the girls to get comfortable on the ice and get used to falling while they were still pretty small and close to the ice. I was still going to make Sawyer wear her Barbie roller skating helmet for the first lesson, just to be safe.

As we pulled up to the rink in our new red minivan, the Comet's new garage room mate we'd bought in preparation for the twins, I noticed a very familiar red classic corvette that I hadn't seen since it had gone into storage almost six years ago. I grabbed Lucas's arm in complete shock.

"Lucas, why's my Daddy here?" I couldn't take my eyes off the car that belonged to Larry Sawyer, or the silhouette I could make out in the drivers seat. Lucas chuckled and pulled in to the spot behind the car.

"I called him, babe. He called me, wanting to surprise you and Sawyer. I figured he'd like to see his granddaughter's first steps on the ice. Especially if she decides to stick with this."

"Oh my god Lucas you're the best!" I jumped out of the car and ran up to my father as he was getting out of his car. I jumped right into his arms and buried my face in his shoulder. I could hear Sawyer shouting for him from her car seat, but I couldn't let go of him. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, and I missed him every single day.

"I missed you, Daddy!" I cried as I clung to him.

"Hey, it's okay Peyton! Don't cry!" He said. His voice was so soothing, it was nice to hear it in person after so long.

"I'm sorry," I sniffled, wiping at my tears as I pulled away from him, "I just missed you so much."

"I missed you too, honey- Oh is that my beautiful granddaughter? Wow have you grown!" Larry walked around me toward Lucas and Sawyer, who were waiting beside the car.

"Grandpa!" Sawyer squealed, reaching out for him. Lucas handed her over and took my hand as we watched Sawyer reunite with her grandfather.

"It's about time to head in, we have to have time to get her skates on," Lucas reminded us. We all started toward the rink with smiled on our faces. As we walked, Sawyer was chattered to Larry about the Olympics, and who her favorite athletes were, and how excited she was to try skating.

As we got Sawyer's skates tied in an area designated for first timers, one of the coaches went over things about the program, and how to sign up for private lessons if the child ended up liking it, and various things like that.

Still nervous as ever, I put Sawyer's helmet, gloves, and final layer on her. Lucas and my dad went to sit in the bleachers, while I stayed with Sawyer, video camera in hand ready to film her first steps on the ice.

Sawyer was the last one on, which gave me time to assess how the other three-year-olds were doing. Most of them were slipping and sliding all over the place looking like little clumsy penguins, while a few clung to the wall. I didn't want to let go of Sawyer's tiny hand, but I had to. She observed one of the assistants trying to demonstrate to the kids how to march on the ice before she edged up to the door. I hit the record button on the camera as I watched her step gingerly over the plastic strip and onto the ice. She stood for a moment before she started to march just like the assistant. She took off. Just like that, Sawyer was skating. Though she was the tiniest in her class, she was the only child who seemed comfortable on the ice.

"Good job, Sawyer! That's my girl!" I shouted as I watched her skate right up to the assistant and circle her. The assistant laughed and marched around letting Sawyer follow her. I watched as the instructor called the kids to meet her in the center, most of them simply crawling, while Sawyer marched with confidence. The Instructor demonstrated to the kids how to safely fall and get up, which Sawyer had a blast with. She giggled and fell right onto her butt, and jumped back up three times before they moved on to marching. She looked like she was having so much fun, and understood everything the instructor taught them.

Sawyer's first accidental fall almost gave me a heart attack. As a worried mom, I couldn't help but gasp when I saw her trip on her toe pick and land on her knees. As she sat there on the ice for a few seconds, I prayed that no one would would ask her if she was okay. I'd discovered that asking her if she was okay usually resulted in a crying fit, even if it didn't hurt that bad. Luckily she got up before either of the adults noticed. Lucas, Larry, and I cheered for her as she stood and continued to zoom around.

"That little one your daughter?" A tall, bottle-blonde woman asked me, pointing toward Sawyer.

"Yes, she is." I answered with a friendly smile to cover up my nervousness. "Which is yours?"

"Oh, the brunette wearing purple over in the freeskate 1 class. Your girl looks pretty comfortable. Is it her first time skating?"

"Yes. She saw the Olympics last week and begged me to sign her up."

"Well she's a cutie. I hope to see her here for private lessons in the future. She has potential." The woman commented, before walking off toward another mother standing a few feet away. Though I was happy someone had complimented her, I was a little uneasy about the woman.

"Look at me Momma!" Sawyer giggled as she chased after the assistant.

"Good job baby! Momma's proud!"

Once the class was over, Sawyer didn't want to leave. One of the assistants had to carry her off the ice and hand her over to me. Lucas had to take her skates off and Larry put her shoes on her as I held my sobbing baby.

"But Momma! I wanna skate! I wanna skate!" She cried as we brought her out to the car.

"I know baby, hush. Maybe we can do a public session tomorrow! I'll see if Auntie Brooke wants to come see you skate. Maybe even get you your own skates! Does that sound good?" I wrapped Sawyer in her blanket before buckling her into her car seat and giving her her favorite baby doll. She nodded, hugged the doll and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Once she was situated, I turned to speak to my father:

"So, how long are you staying, Daddy?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"Probably till the twins are a few months old."

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears. He was staying that long?

"Yeah, I figured you and Luke could use some help with everything, especially since Sawyer's got skating now."

"W-wow, Daddy, thank you." I hugged him tightly before letting go and yawning. "Well I'm tired, let's go home! Daddy, you get to see our new house!"

"I get to live in it too," He joked before kissing my head and going to get in his car.

Once at home, Lucas and I found that Sawyer was fast asleep in her car seat. She was absolutely adorable, it melted my heart seeing my peaceful little baby. I carried my sweet girl up to bed, while Lucas helped my dad with his bags and showed him to the guest room. By the time Sawyer was changed into her pajamas and a pull-up and settled into bed, it was about 7:30 pm, and though I wasn't far along, I was still exhausted, and I could feel my morning sickness coming on once again. I headed down the stairs and found Lucas and my dad sitting in the living room drinking beer, eating popcorn, and watching football.

"You boys better keep it down! Sawyer's asleep and I'm exhausted." I complained from the bottom of the stairs.

"Come here, pretty girl." Lucas beckoned for me to join them on the couch. "How are you feeling?" He asked as I sunk down onto the couch and wrapped my arms around him.

"Like complete shit." I whimpered. I felt like I was going to throw up at any second. Lucas knew me so well. He immediately dumped his small portion of remaining popcorn into my dad's bowl, and held his bowl under my chin just in time for me to throw up into it.

"There, you're okay, baby. It's okay." Lucas rubbed my back with his free hand and fed me soothing words like he always did. My dad helped by getting me a bottle of water and taking the bowl to take care of it once I was done. Lucas walked me up the stairs to our room and waited while I got ready for bed to tuck me in.

"I'll be up in a little while, babe. Get some sleep." He kissed me and tucked me in before getting up to leave. "I love you, Peyt. I won't be too long."

I overheard my dad telling Lucas that he was proud of the way he handled me, and that he was very happy with him, which made me so happy. I loved that my dad and Lucas got along great. It made everything easier. Lucas was a great man, and I knew that I couldn't possibly be more in love. The fact that he knew what to do when I was in need was a bonus to his wonderful, caring personality. I knew from the start that my children and I were in good hands.


	3. Chapter 3

3

It was 8 am when I finally dragged myself out of bed. Lucas was long gone since school started at 7:30, and he was subbing for the gym teacher for today. It was probably a bit of my pregnancy hormones, but I missed him so bad and felt like I was going to cry. I decided to head to the bathroom to collect myself before going to wake Sawyer for breakfast. I dragged my feet all the way to the bathroom, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed and cry, but I had to be up. I had a girls day with Sawyer and Brooke today. Hopefully my favorite girls would be able to cheer me up.

I was putting toothpaste on my toothbrush when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A neon green sticky note was stuck to the mirror:

"_Peyton,_

_Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. _

_I love you, babe. I hope you have a really_

_great day with Sawyer and Brooke. Call me _

_If you need anything at all, or just want to talk. _

_I love you, gorgeous! _

_Lucas"_

My day was already 1000 times better, and with a smile on my face I finished brushing my teeth and pulled my hair into a messy bun, a style I'd only recently perfected. I found a safe place in my sketchbook for the note before I went to wake Sawyer.

I was shocked when I found her crib empty. I rushed out to the kitchen, about to call for my dad, and I found them sitting at the table with plates full of delicious looking eggs, pancakes, and bacon, and a third plate waiting at my seat.

"Thank God! I thought- never mind. How's my little girl?" I was relieved that Sawyer was safe, but I felt a little silly for jumping to conclusions.

"I'm good, Momma. Grandpa made us breakfast!" She pointed her tiny finger to my plate with a huge, syrupy smile on her sweet face.

"Morin' Daddy," I said with a smile, walking over to him and giving him a hug, "Thank you for getting her up and making breakfast."

"No problem, Peyton. I'm heading out to the port for a local job in a few. I'll be back by dinner, I promise. And don't you worry, I'll be working less once you get bigger."

"Ugh don't remind me! I hate being big!" I sighed as I plopped down into my chair. I took a huge forkful of pancake, laughing in my mind at the contradiction.

"You've always had a huge appetite. I can't imagine how much you'll be eating in a few months!" Dad chuckled and continued munching on a piece of bacon.

After breakfast I got Sawyer ready for the day. I was just finishing tying purple bows in her hair when I heard the door open.

"Peyton! Sawyer! Aunt Brooke's here!" I heard Brooke's familiar voice yell from downstairs. "There you girls are! Ready for our shopping day?" Brooke glided into the room with a huge smile on her face. Her visible baby bump was made obvious by her tight blue top.

"Were getting Sawyer fitted for skates first, then we'll go to Babies R Us for basically everything but what Baker Man has. Maybe we can take Sawyer to the Gap for kids or Toys R Us if we have time."

"Nice plan, P. Scott. I'm so excited to shop for a little girl! My dad's trying to buy Baby Brooke back from Clothes Over Bros so we can add it to Baker Man. So were gonna wait maybe a month for girls clothes. Plus we can start with Sawyer hand-me-downs if we absolutely have to."

"Sounds good to me."

"So, best friend," Brooke began as we all climbed into the van and headed for the rink's pro shop, "Have you come up with any names for your kids yet?"

"Um, well I have, but I don't know what Luke will think. Have you?"

"Yeah, but you tell first!"

"Okay. Um, for the boy, I was thinking any of the names Nathan, Larry, or Keith. But Larry or Keith would have to be middle names. I want something musical for the boy, like John, or Jackson. I can't name my baby Elvis, no matter how much I want to. He'll get made fun of."

"Yeah they're old man names. Have you run those by Lucas? You know he's going to want to use Keith."

"I know," I sighed, "I love what meaning it would have, it's just not my favorite name."

"I get it, Jude's name is all Julian, so I kinda want to name the girl." Brooke proudly patted her baby bump. "Do you have names for your girl?"

"Yep. I was thinking Bella Rebecca, or Ellianna something. Maybe Lucille- like Lucy, to sorta match Lucas."

"I like Ellianna because it's got a little bit of both Ellie, and Anna. They'd appreciate that." Brooke placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Yeah..." I whispered, trailing off as I smiled to myself. "So! Names for your little bun-in-the-oven?" I glanced over to Brooke, breaking out of my reverie.

"Yes! I really really like the name Sophia. But I think Julie would be cute too because she would match her father."

"Brooke didn't you just say you wanted to name the girl for yourself?" I laughed and playfully hit her. "Come on! Jude Andrew is all Julian!"

"Yeah but I also named Davis Nathan, and I obviously have to talk to julian about her name anyway."

"Haha okay. What about middle names?"

"Peyton or Victoria. I think the names would probably be either Sophia Peyton, Julie Peyton, or, now that I think about it, Peyton Victoria."

"Aw, Brooke! You would really name her after me?" I was honestly quite touched buy Brooke's name choices.

"Of course! You're my best friend! You named Baby Brooke after me." Brooke used Sawyer's nickname as she gestured toward the back seat where Sawyer was in her own little world, pretending that a Barbie doll was skating across her leg.

"Brooke, you don't have to name her after me just because Sawyer's named after you! If you don't want to, I don't want you to feel like you have to!"

"Of course I want to, Peyton. Really I do. You just stole my idea before I had the chance to have kids!" Brooke joked, smacking me playfully on the arm.

"Oh, did I now? Like you stole the name Jude from me? Totally Beatles."

Sawyer bounced excitedly in her seat at we pulled up to the large, blue building that was the skating rink. Brooke and I laughed as we struggled to free her from her car seat because of her squirming. I almost had a heart attack as Sawyer rushed away out into the parking lot.

"Sawyer Brooke Scott!" I screamed, "Get back here this instant!"

By the look on her face, I could tell she knew she was in trouble. She knew exactly what she did wrong. She ran back toward the safety of the parking spaces before slowing to a walk and hanging her head in shame. She slowly walked up to me and slipped her hand into mine.

"That's better, Sawyer. What could you have done to be safer?"

"Hold Momma's and and look both ways twice before crossing the street." Sawyer recited almost robotically.

"Good. Don't do that again, Sawyer Scott. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Momma."

"Aw Sawyer's just excited," Brooke sighed as she picked Sawyer up and settled her on her hip. "But we do need to be safer next time. Now let's go get you some ice skates!"

"Yay!" Sawyer shouted as she clapped her tiny hands excitedly.

Once in the rink's pro shop, we headed up to the counter to speak with a rink employee. I asked him if there was anyone who could help fit her with skates, and he went to get one of the skate technicians. The woman he brought to us was a short, sweet-looking older woman with dark short hair. She lead us over to a bench in front of a large display of many different skates.

"Okay," the woman began, "Are we looking for beginners skates for this little one here?" She glanced down at Sawyer with a friendly smile.

"Yep. She started learn-to-skate class yesterday. She liked it so much I figured I should get her her own skates." Brooke and I sat beside Sawyer as the lady began to measure Sawyer's feet.

"I have the perfect skates in mind. They're pretty inexpensive and will be perfect for this cutie! They're these here," she picked up the smallest skate from the display. The skate was white, but had pink accent stripes on it that made it look almost like a hockey skate. "These are what we have for the smallest children like your daughter. They have a good amount of padding for comfort, as young children need to be comfortable in their fist pair of skates."

"They're perfect!" I was so excited that Sawyer was getting her first pair of skates, and that they included her favorite color.

The fitting didn't take long; we were lucky that they had her size in stock, and since they were beginner skates, the blade was included. All they had to to was sharpen them and they were ready to come home with us.

Sawyer was pretty disappointed that there wasn't a session for her to skate on, but I told her that if she could stay in a good mood all day I'd think about getting her the American girl doll she'd been begging me for for the last two months.

Sawyer, Brooke, and I had a wonderful day: We went out to lunch, went to shopping for the babies, went to Toys R Us for Sawyer, and got ice cream. Brooke and I were even able to find some new maternity clothes. By the end of the day, Sawyer was fast asleep in her stroller.

"So, best friend, what's the doctor have to say about you going on bed rest? Are you going to have to this time?" Brooke and I were walking to car with our arms full of bags. Sawyer even had a bag sitting on her lap in the stroller.

"They don't know yet. They said that we'll have to see how my body handles the twins. As of right now they think I'll have to go on bed rest at seven or eight months, so not as long as before. Apparently my uterus is weak from my last pregnancy and C-section, so they want to keep a close eye on me."

"So you don't have anything wrong with you this time, do you?" Brooke sounded genuinely concerned.

"Nah. No placenta previa this time, thank God, and as far as they know, everything with the babies is going great!"

"That's awesome, P."

"Is everything with your girl going well? Gosh, you need to name her so I can call her something better than 'your girl'."

"Yeah she's doing really good. They're keeping a close eye on me too, considering I wasn't supposed to be able to have kids in the first place, and now I'm working on my third!"

"I'm proud of you, Brooke. You're a great mom. It's like it's natural to you. You deserve to have them."

"Thanks, Peyton. That means a lot to me. You're a great mom too. Have you noticed the way Sawyer looks up to you? It's like you're her idol. She wants to be just like her momma."

Brooke's comment made me smile. I didn't always feel like I was doing a great job with Sawyer. Sometimes I just didn't know what to do. Karen was always away with Andy, and both my moms were dead, so I had no one to give me advice on motherhood. I really missed my moms.

As I laid in bed that night with Lucas snoring softly beside me, I reflected on the great day I had with my two favorite girls. I was looking forward to raising my kids alongside Brooke. We hadn't said it aloud, but I knew we were both hoping that our girls would be best friends like we were. Maybe once the initial age gap died down, Jude and Davis would become close friends with my boy too.

The future looked bright, and with my incredible husband, caring father, and best friend, I knew every thing was going to be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

4

*3 months later*

I was awoken with a jolt by a stroke of lightning. It shook the whole house and, though I wasn't normally afraid of lightning, I found my senses heightened and every instinct called for me to find Lucas. I tossed my arm to the side, and was horrified when I found nothing but sheets on his side of the bed. I sat up and screamed in terror as another flash of lightning revealed a frighteningly familiar outline in the window.

It was him. The man of my nightmares. However, as soon as the flash was gone, so was the silhouette. I was shaking from head to toe and I kept my eyes locked on the window. Tears cascaded down my cheeks and I screamed for Lucas once again. It was terrifying seeing visions of Ian banks again, as I hadn't had these visions very often since high school. I rarely even had nightmares nowadays, but when I had them, they were really bad.

"Peyt?" I jumped at the sound of Lucas's voice from the door. I finally took my eyes off the window and turned to face Lucas's silhouette approaching me. His features became more apparent in the dark as he rushed closer.

"Luke!" I choked out as I threw my arms tightly around his neck.

"Hey what's wrong Babe? Calm down, Peyt it's okay, shh." Lucas pulled me into his lap as I shook violently from fear, my tears dampening his shirt.

"I-I saw him Luke. It hasn't happened since h-high school," I blubbered as I clung to Lucas.

"Who did you see, baby?"

"It was Ian. It was his silhouette in the window! But we're on the second floor!"

"Calm down Peyton. It's okay. He's still in jail, he can't get you. We're in a new house, a new neighborhood, it's okay."

"But he'll recognize me! He'll follow me and-and-"

"Shh, it's okay, Peyton. Look, you just saw him like you did back in high school, Babe, it was just a dream, okay? He's not going to get you. Not while I'm around."

"I love you, Lucas." I took in a shuddered breath and relaxed against him. He laid down, carefully repositioning me to lay on his chest.

"I love you too..." Lucas trailed off and seemed to think to himself for a moment. "Peyton? Are you okay?" I was taken aback by the seriousness in his voice.

"Um, I guess so... What do you mean, Honey?"

"I'm worried about you," Lucas began honestly, "You have been through so much, and who's to say there isn't going to be more pain and suffering?"

I was surprised but this sudden deep conversation, and I wasn't sure what to say right away.

"Honey, there's always going to be more to deal with, no matter how much we go through. But, we're going to go through everything together, okay? The pregnancy is going great as of right now. Just stay optimistic. I know it's part of the reason you're so worried."

"It's just with what happened last time-"

"Luke! I'm fine! The babies are fine!" I sat up and glared down at his worried face. "It's six whole months in and the doctor said everything is in good position. We don't have to worry about placenta previa this time! It's going to be fine."

"But what if something else goes wrong?"

"Hon, I'm fine, we're fine. Okay?"

Just then, another flash of lightning lit up the room bringing with it another house-shaking boom. I jumped when I heard Sawyer's terrified cry from her room. Just seconds later she appeared in the doorway carrying her baby and her blanket.

"Momma! Daddy! I ascared!" She wailed as she ran toward the bed. Lucas scooped her off the floor and placed her on the bed between us.

"Aw, Sawyer, it's only lightning! It's cool!" Lucas encouraged with a smile to our baby girl.

"It's loud, Daddy." Sawyer stated grumpily before she cuddled up under the covers with us and captured me in a koala-hug; when she wrapped her arm and leg over me. I smiled and hugged her back.

Though I was beyond excited for the twins, I couldn't help but worry about the possibility of growing apart from my baby girl. I Sawyer and I had always been very close, and change scared me.

"Good night Princess, good night Honey." Lucas said cheerily as he kissed us each and settled down to go back to sleep. "Just listen and relax." His deep voice was comforting. He gently laid his arm across Sawyer and I and gently stroked my hair the way I liked. Occasionally he would switch and play with Sawyer's hair, helping her to fall sleep in no time. The sound of the pounding rain outside was very soothing, and soon, we were all fast asleep in each others arms.

It was a late, sunny May morning when I woke to the sound of my father calling for us for breakfast. Sawyer and Luke weren't in bed with me anymore, but I could hear Sawyer's baby voice chattering down the hall as Lucas helped her brush her teeth and get ready for the day. It had been three months since Sawyer had started ice skating, and she had her first private lesson later today.

I stretched and yawned before I kicked the covers off. I laid there staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to gather the will to get up. I was still exhausted from my little panic attack last night, but the smell of breakfast downstairs was too tempting. Eventually I was able to force myself to get up and get ready for breakfast. I changed out of my big shirt and put on a camisole and a pair of shorts, and also tied my hair into a ponytail. I was getting lazier and lazier with my hair as time passed. Nowadays I would only fix it if I was going to the label, or one of the dinners Naley hosted for all of us. I did, in fact, have to go in today, but I would just do my hair later.

"Lucas," I yawned as I stepped into the hallway, "I have to go in today. When are you heading to the school?"

"I'm going in at 10:30 for just my regular third and fourth block team sports class. Basketball seasons over, so I'll be home about 3:45." He helped Sawyer off of her bathroom stool and followed her out to meet me by the stairs.

"Okay. I guess Dad can watch Sawyer. If not I'll just take her in with me. Mia loves her, and she behaves well enough around new people, it's no big deal."

We all went down the stairs to find my dad setting the table with four plates. Sawyer cheered when she saw the French toast ready on the table. Lucas and I chuckled and gave each other a look when we saw the choice of food. Lucas and I took our seats on either side of Sawyer at the round table, and once Dad was seated, all four of us began to eat.

"So," I began cautiously, "I know I have three whole months left in the pregnancy, but I'd really like to decide on names." Lucas and I had two detailed lists of possible names for each baby. Lucas and I were even thinking of letting Sawyer name one of them.

"Alright, shoot." Dad responded.

"Okay, so I was thinking for the girl either Lucille Elizabeth or Ellieanna Karena"

"I like Ellianna." Dad stated.

"Hmm, I like Ellieanna Karena, it flows a little better." Lucas said.

"See I like Ellieanna too but it's really long." I mumbled nervously.

"It is a pretty name. It's unique and you could shorten it to either Ellie or Anna." Dad commented. "You still have three months for this, though."

"I know, Daddy, but it's so impersonal to call the "baby A" and "baby B". They need proper names."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed, "What about the boy's name?"

"That's the harder one because there's too many cute boy names! But I like Thomas or Nathan- what about a name relating to music like Jackson, Joshua, Dylan, John, God there's so many!" I took in the overwhelmed looks of the men at the table before continuing, "The middle name would be Lucas, Nathan, Larry, or Keith."

"What about John?" Dad said, "Your great uncle's name was John. Or Jackson, that one is cool."

"I like Jackson. Which middle name do you guys like? I think I like Lucas or Nathan. I don't really want to fight over the middle names, now that I think about it. It wouldn't be fair to use Keith and not Larry or vice versa, so I like Lucas or Nathan."

"Good point. What about Jackson Nathan? You and Brooke could make a ton of nicknames from that, and actually, Joshua was on my list too, so I approve." Lucas offered.

"Jackson Nathan... I like that too- but not that they both end with n. This is way too hard! Let talk about girls names again!"

"Okay, well I like the name Ellianna…" Lucas prompted.

"What do you think, Sawyer?" I turned to my baby girl, who's mouth was covered in powdered sugar from her toast. "Would you like to help name your baby brother and sister?" She smiled hugely and thought for a moment before deciding:

"Jackson Keith and Ellianna Karena."

"I have to think about it, Baby. Are you sure you like those names? It would be really cool if you helped name them." I asked as I wiped her sugary mouth with a wet paper towel

"Yes! I can calls them Jack and Ellie!"

"I'll think about it Sawyer. I'm gonna talk to Aunt Brooke about it." I then picked up the phone and dialed Brooke's number. I left the men to clean up breakfast and headed to my room to talk to my best friend.

"Hello?" Brooke answered on the second ring.

"Brooke! I got baby names. I like them, Lucas and Dad like them, they just need your approval."

"Okay, do tell!"

"Ellianna Karena and Jackson Keith. I thought 'Ellianna' was a cute combo name that could have a lot of cute nicknames. Sawyer decided on that one. She wanted something original and cute I guess. I actually really really like it. It's pretty."

"It is pretty! And I think Jackson is a really cute name!"

"Awesome! So you approve?"

"Best friend approves!" Brooke said, speaking in third person, "So I need your approval. Julian and I talked and we decided on Sophia Peyton."

"Aww, B. I'm honored! I love it! Took you long enough! She will be here in less than a month!"

"I know, names are hard- And you'd better feel honored, you little wedding skipper!" Brooke was joking, but I still felt really bad.

"Oh Brooke, I said I was sorry a million times. Sawyer was so sick, I really couldn't leave her. I wanted to be there so bad! I cried all day, knowing I wasn't there for you."

"P. Scott, you know I'm kidding. It hurt that you weren't there, but you had an excuse, and I'm over it. All that matters is that you're here now. You were right: people always leave, but sometimes they come back. You came back."

"Never knew I really was talking about myself." I said darkly.

"Oh hush. You're still my best friend. Anyway, you should stop by Baker Man if you get the chance. I'm working all day and you need clothes for little Jackson!"

"Dear lord, this is overwhelming. Well, I gotta go in to the label today. Mia, Alex, and I are working with another new guy today. His name is Drew and he's got this wonderful voice! I just really hope he's not annoying."

As I spoke on the phone with Brooke, I was pacing around the room planning my outfit for the day. I had a pretty, army green sun dress laid out on the bed and brown sandals set on the floor at the foot of the bed. With the phone tucked between my shoulder and ear, I dug through my jewelry for an acceptable pair of earrings and a necklace.

"Aw if you need me to slap a bitch I'm only five minutes away!"

"Haha you're the best, Brooke, but you're eight months pregnant!"

"Mhmm. I am the best, and I've carried a much larger load than this little girl before."

"Alright well I better finish getting ready. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye P. Scott."

"Bye B. Baker."

After hanging up with Brooke, I went and did my hair in my signature barrel-curls and put on a light coating of green eyeshadow. I added my usual mascara and eyeliner and put my favorite lipgloss on my lips.

Once I finished my makeup I got dressed and collected my cellphone and wristlet which contained my ID and money. I then went downstairs to find Lucas and Larry sitting at the table chatting while Sawyer played in the living room with her doll house.

"Daddy, can you watch Sawyer today, or do I need to take her?" I walked up to the counter and scanned the area for my sunglasses.

"Yeah I can sweetie. Listen: I'm leaving for a two week long job in two days. I know I said I'd only be doing local but I figured you don't need me quite yet, right?" Dad walked up to the other side of the counter as he spoke. He had a nervous look on his face as though he was afraid of my reaction.

"Yeah, that's fine, Daddy. I probably won't need you to help out too much until I'm put on bed rest, which could be within the next month or two."

"Okay sweetie. Have a good day." Daddy leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"You too, Daddy, thank you. The emergency numbers are on the fridge. If something happens call me first, and if necessary then Lucas and Brooke." I couldn't help but be a concerned mother, even though I knew Sawyer was in great hands. I'd experienced it first hand.

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer Scott. I raised a child much more difficult than that little angel in there," Daddy gestured to Sawyer and raised his eyebrows at me, "We will be fine. Have faith in your old man now, girl!"

"I was not that bad!" I protested, knowing full well that I'd been very mischievous and stubborn as a toddler. "I know you'll be fine, Daddy, but I'll still be calling to check up on you guys."

Daddy gave me a thumbs up before moving along the counter to make coffee. I'd given up coffee for my pregnancy, and I now drank tea instead.

Before I left, I walked into the living room and crouched beside Sawyer:

"Hey baby girl, Grandpa is gonna stay with you today 'cause Momma's gotta go into work today."

"Why can't you work at home like normal with me and Grandpa?" Sawyer turned her big blue eyes away from her game of house and gazed at me, confused. She didn't always understand how my job worked.

"I gotta go in and meet a new singer today, Princess. I'll only be gone a few hours. Then maybe you and Grandpa can meet me for ice cream and we could go visit Aunt Brooke at Baker Man or Aunt Haley at the café. Then we go to the rink for your first private lesson!"

"Or we could see Aunt Brooke AND Aunt Haley, then go to the rink!" Sawyer shouted, standing and giving me a hug. "I love you Mommy."

"I love you too, sweet girl, have a good day. Behave."

"I will, Momma." Sawyer returned to her doll house as I stood and walked to the door where Lucas was waiting for me.

"Have a good day, Babe. Call me and tell me how it goes, okay?" Lucas wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his warm, welcoming embrace.

"I will, Honey. You have a good day too. I love you."

"I love you too, Peyt." Lucas kissed me before I finally headed out the door.

Nowadays, Tric's parking lot was the only place the Comet saw besides the garage. I'd realized when Lucas, Sawyer, and I had been traveling that it wasn't practical for everyday use, especially since it was getting old and had been fixed too many times to count. I wanted to preserve it and have it forever.

The Comet always improved my mood. I loved driving it with the top down, wind blowing through my hair, tunes from high school floating through the speakers. The Comet was like my own little paradise; it was full of memories, comfort, and familiarity. I also considered it my 'cool' car, and used it whenever I was going into work to keep up the image of a cool label president.

As I pulled up to the back lot of Tric, I noticed an old 1980s Volvo parked beside Alex's car. Mia's was parked alone on the other side of the small parking lot, so I pulled in beside her.

"Oh look who decided to show:" I heard Mia's taunting voice as I walked into my office. "The label president!"

"Oh shut up! I know I'm late! I had to make sure last minute that my dad could watch Sawyer." I turned, flustered, toward the young man who was sitting quietly in a chair in front of my desk. "Hi, I'm Peyton. You must be Andrew Garrity. May I call you Drew? Pleased to meet you, your demo was very well done." I extended my arm out to shake the terrified-looking boy's hand.

"T-thank you ma'am. Drew is fine." He stood and shook my hand firmly.

Drew had short, dirty blonde hair and a cute baby face. He had to be only about 19 or 20. He gave a small smile, obviously scared out of his mind. I didn't blame him though: being as young as he was, and considering we were still working with Sire Records, this could be his big break. Of course he'd be starting at Tric like everyone else who signed with Red Bedroom Records, but it was still a big deal.

"Alright, before we can sign you, I need to hear you in the booth. It's no big deal, you don't need to be nervous. I just need to make sure you sound like you did on the demo. Then we'll talk about what happens after signing." I gave him a friendly smile, hoping to relax him.

"Yes ma'am. Can I have a minute to warm my voice up?"

"Sure you can! Mia, could you take him to the booth?"

"On it." Mia grabbed Drew's wrist and led him to the booth.

"So, Alex," I began, turning to the pretty brunette girl who was perched on my desk, "Congrats on your new single! It got a lot of good feedback, and it's already sold like crazy! I really really like it, too."

"Thanks, Peyton. That means a lot coming from you." Alex smiled at me before jumping down off the desk. "I guess you probably need this." She went to follow Mia and Drew, probably to give him warm up tips.

"Thanks." I said as she passed. I moved to sit at my desk and started organizing some papers for the new guy.

When my cell started playing the ringtone I had set for Haley, I quickly answered. Hoping for a miracle that she'd got Sam Walker to work today and could come in and fill in for me.

"Hey Peyton," Haley's voice floated through the phone. "Nate and I were going to plan a group dinner for Sunday. Do you think you could come? It would be the usual: You, Sawyer, Luke, Brooke, Julian, and the boys."

"I think so, yeah. I'll tell Lucas. Quick question: Has Jamie ever ice skated before?"

"Uh yeah. He's been with Chuck and Madison before, I think. Why?"

"Sawyer's been bugging me to take her skating for extra practice, but I don't want to risk falling at all. I was wondering if Jamie could skate on a public session with her. She's too young to be out by herself."

"He could. He loves Sawyer, I'm sure he'd be glad to!"

"Thanks, Haley. I'll let you know when."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Say, you wouldn't want to come I and deal with the new guy today?"

"Sorry, I have to stay at the café. I'll have to meet him when he comes in for another evaluation."

"Okay, that's fine." I sighed. "I have to go hear him, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye."

The day at the label was surprisingly shorter than I'd expected. Drew had an incredible voice, and ended up being very easy to explain everything too. The process was very smooth and quick, and before long, he was officially signed with Red Bedroom Records. I was excited for the kid: he had his whole life in front of him, and once we got him performing, I knew he'd be an instant sensation just like Mia and Alex.

Another thing that caught my attention was that he seemed like he would be good for the role of Psycho-Derek/Ian Banks for Julian and Luke's TV show. They were including that in the plot next season and he was currently searching for someone to play my stalker. I sent a quick text to Julian telling him to find 'Andrew Garrity' and stalk him in Facebook or Instagram and see if he'd like him for the role. Of course Drew would still need to agree and have an audition, and be good at acting, but it was just an idea.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Heres that chapter five you've been waiting over a year for. I renamed the twins Jackson Keith and Ellianna Karena, and I strongly suggest going back and re reading since I've taken so long. I'm truly sorry. **_

5

After work, I met Daddy and Sawyer at the Cafe. After speaking with Haley for a while, Sawyer and I headed across the street to Baker Man to see Brooke.

Brooke was so excited that Sawyer was starting private lessons, and she wanted so desperately to be there to see her, but the doctors were having her take it easy, and Julian made sure she was listening to them. He visited her several times a day to make sure that she wasn't on her feet too much, and to bring her food and tea. It was only a matter of days before little Sophia Peyton Baker was to join us.

"So little miss Sawyer Brooke Scott," Brooke sang from her desk chair as we walked in, "Are you excited?"

"Yeeesssss!" Sawyer giggled as she ran toward Brooke. She then clambered into Brooke's lap, balancing on her knees. She made a face and glanced up at Brooke, then down to her pregnant belly. "When is Sophia gonna come out of you? She's taking up all the room."

"Just a few days, baby doll. Not long at all, okay? Then you can sit on my lap and even get to hold her if you want!"

"Okay good. Cause Mommy said Jackson and Ellianna will be awhile." Sawyer chattered away as I dug through my bag to find Sawyer's skating clothes.

"Alright, ice princess," I sighed as I pulled out a pair of purple leggings, a long sleeve light purple shirt, and a pink fleece jacket. "Let's go get you changed. We're meeting coach Kelsey at the rink at 5 sharp."

"Okay Momma!" Sawyer leaped off Brooke's lap and grabbed the hem of my shirt, attempting to drag me toward the bathroom.

Coach Kelsey was waiting patiently at the rink for us when we arrived. Kelsey was a short, young lady probably in her early 20s, with curly strawberry blonde hair that was tied back in a high ponytail. She was a sweet girl and seemed as though she was good with kids. She'd been the instructor of Sawyer's basic 4 class, and was Sawyer's favorite. Sawyer had been the one to pick which coach to have, of course with my approval, and she was so excited for her lesson with Coach Kelsey.

The skating session started in 15 minutes, and Sawyer was Kelsey's first lesson of the day. She'd recommended the fist hour because it was the least crowded time. We met Kelsey in the lobby and she began explaining things about skating on the freestyle session to Sawyer as I tied her skates and helped her put on her jacket, hat, and mittens.

"Okay Sawyer, the most important thing when skating on a freestyle session is to look where you're going. You need to be very careful not to get in the way of older skaters. They might not always see you, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Aren't they supposed to watch out too?" Sawyer said, putting her hands on her hips in a sassy gesture.

"Yes, Sweetie, but they don't always remember to," Kelsey responded with a chuckle, "Now listen: when someone is doing their program and their music is playing, they have the right of way, that means you have to get out of their way no matter what. They'll have on an orange vest so you'll know who it is. I can teach you more of the rules on the ice. Are you ready?" She asked, standing with her own skates on, smiling happily down at my girl.

"Yes!" Sawyer cheered clapping her mitted hands.

"Say bye to your momma then we can go, okay?"

Sawyer gave me a hug and a kiss, I hugged her tight and told her I loved her and to have fun before releasing her to Kelsey for the hour.

I followed them out and took a seat in the bleachers as they took the ice. At lease five other skaters were already on the ice. I recognized the little girl from learn to skate who's mother I'd met the first time Sawyer had skated. She was in a lesson with a strange male coach with a goatee. Before I knew it, her mother was taking a seat beside me:

"Hi there. You're that lady from learn to skate! I don't think I ever caught your name?" The woman asked cheerily.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm Peyton Scott." I extended my hand and she took it with a smile.

"I'm Kathleen West. My daughter there, her name is Victoria and she's five. I must say I'm glad your daughter is in lessons already! I knew she'd be good when I saw her in group lessons."

This woman was a little overbearing, something about her made me uneasy.

"Well she's only three, her fourth birthday is next week, so for right now we're gonna take it easy on the lessons."

"Yeah that's how we started my first child, Emily. She's the girl in pink over there." I followed her gesture to see a girl dressed head to toe in pink. She looked just like an older version of Victoria, and was warming up alone. "She's 10, and I can proudly say she is the juvenile champion of last year's regionals!"

"Wow congratulations! I want Sawyer to compete eventually, but only if she wants to."

"Sawyer? That's… unique. Very cute."

"It's my maiden name." I chuckled. I was used to people being judgmental of Sawyer's name.

"Well I like it. Well if you want Sawyer to go to nationals some day like my Em, you'd better get her in competitions fast! Of course Emily didn't place very well at nationals but we're working on that…Oh by the way, I'm the president of the Tree Hill Figure Skating Club, so if you ever have any questions, you can come to me."

"Thank you. Actually could you just sort of explain how all this works? I'm totally lost…"

"Of course. This sport is a little overwhelming to new parents: So basically, your child is going to have a few lessons with Kelsey here, a fine coach and skater I might add, and after a while, her coach may decide to have her skate a program. At her age, it's entirely up to you and your daughter whether or not to start competitions. She could either start local competitions, or just skate in the club show for now. Making programs with her coach is an important part of the development of her skating. It helps with consistency, confidence, and artistry.

"She'll start testing Moves in the Field once her coach thinks she's ready, and after she starts testing moves, she can start testing freeskate. Of course letting the child test is entirely the coach's decision. The coach has final say on when she feels the child is ready to test."

"I see. What are these tests like?"

"Moves tests are things like edges, turns, and patterns, while freeskate is jumps and spins." Kathleen continued to explain everything to me as we watched the skaters zoom around the rink. I kept my eyes on Sawyer the whole time.

She looked so happy. I loved seeing her eyes light up every time she learned something new. Seeing her do a little two-foot spin made me so proud. She was already so talented for a three year old, and I loved that she was having fun. She fell a few times, but Kathleen explained to me that the better she got, the more she would fall, as the things she learned would be harder. I could already tell there would be a few bumps and bruises that Sawyer would suffer from this sport, but that was true of a lot of sports, so I couldn't get too worked up over it.

The hour seemed so short! I wanted to see more of Sawyer skating, but it was a lot of work for her tiny body, and though she was trying so hard not to show it, as she followed Kelsey off the ice, she was very obviously exhausted. I said goodbye to Kathleen and went to meet them at the lobby door.

"Peyton, she did very very well today!" Kelsey said with a huge smile, "I'll email you with more information on our next lessons- I'm sorry I have to get back on the ice for my next lesson, I'll be in contact."

"Of course, Kelsey! Thank you so much! See you soon!"

I took Sawyer's tiny hand and led her back to the bench she'd sat on earlier. I sat her down and started untying her little skates.

"So, Baby Girl. Did you have fun?"

"Yes Momma! It was so much fun! I learned how to do a bunny hop, and a spin, and a 3-turn! I did a lot and Miss Kelsey said I was a good skater! Am I good Momma? Did you see?" Sawyer chattered as she pulled off her little mittens and her hat.

"You did very good, Sweet-pea. Momma's proud of you! I got pictures on my phone of you and Miss Kelsey, I'm gonna post them on Facebook so everyone can see how well you did! And, as celebration, you get to pick what we have for dinner!"

"Yay! Can we have dinner with aunt Brooke? And I want mac-and-cheese and chicken nuggets!"

"I knew you were going to say that!" I laughed as I dried Sawyer's skates and put them away in her skate bag. I had already invited Brooke over. I'd offered for Julian to come with the twins, as well, but Brooke knew this was for Sawyer, and that the boys were little attention hogs, so she was having him stay at home with the boys.

"Momma!" Sawyer giggled and smacked her forehead as she laughed.

"C'mere you little goofball!" I scoped Sawyer into my arms and kissed her cheek. "Momma's so proud of her baby, yes she is!"

"I'm not a baby anymore!"

"Oh yes you are! You're Momma and Daddy's baby, and you always will be." I laughed as I set Sawyer back down on the bench and helped her put on her little pink shoes.

"Momma," Sawyer's tone was suddenly serious, "When Noah and Ellie come am I still gonna be your baby?"

"Oh Honey of course you will be! You are always going to be my baby, you hear me? I love you to the moon and back, Sawyer Brooke Scott, and nothing will ever change that." It broke my heart at the thought of Sawyer thinking she was being replaced. She was my favorite person in the whole world and I couldn't fathom not being as close with her as I was now.

"I love you too, Momma." Sawyer whispered as she slid off the bench and hugged my leg.

"Well, let's get going. I'll call Daddy and have him start dinner, so it'll be all ready for my little ice princess!"

"Yay! Can I have ice cream after dinner?"

"Sorry Sweetpea, you already had some with grandpa today. Maybe tomorrow."

We hurried home after Sawyer's lesson and found Brooke and Lucas already there. Luke had just set the table and was starting to make plates for everyone and we walked through the door.

"Hey, my beautiful girls," Lucas greeted us with a giant smile on his face as we walked into the kitchen.

"Daddy! Daddy! Coach Kelsey said imma good skater!" Sawyer screeched as she scampered toward Lucas.

"Wow! That's my girl! Daddy's proud!" Lucas scooped her up and kissed her on the cheek. "Now how about you go wash your hands. Dinner's ready."

"Yum!" Sawyer ran out of the room and disappeared into the hall bathroom.

"How's my angel?" Lucas asked as he pulled me into his arms, placing his hands on the small of my back and gazing into my eyes. He'd started calling me his angel since the wedding when Haley had brought it up, and it made me feel amazing every time.

"Your angel is exhausted." I huffed, slumping my shoulders and breaking our eye contact. I always put on a front around Sawyer so that she wouldn't see me when I'm tired and mean, but now that she was out of the room, I could be my grouchy self. Suddenly, my hormones were overwhelming me, and I felt like I was going to cry. Lucas noticed and held me closer in a comforting hug.

"Hey!" Brooke interrupted, "Get your skinny ass over here and talk to your best friend, P. Scott!" Her demanding, but caring and concerned voice brought a small smile to my face. I kissed Lucas gently on the cheek before turning to face Brooke.

"Neither of us are so skinny right now, B. Baker." I sighed, and took a seat beside her at the dinner table.

"What's up, P?" Brooke asked, her tone serious and low.

"I'm just tired," I stated truthfully, "My hormones are getting the better of me right now."

"I know how you feel. It'll pass." Brooke soothed, placing her hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Momma, what's hormones?" Sawyer asked as she entered the room and attempted to climb into her booster seat. Lucas came to the rescue and lifted her smoothly, setting her comfortably in her place. He then dished out a plate of chicken nuggets and Mac-and-cheese to all of us. Brooke and I however, also had large portions of green-beans and a bowl of grapes with small portions of the chicken nuggets and mac-and-cheese.

My dad emerged from his room and joined us. I could tell just by his demeanor that he had been packing. It was something I'd learned over my lonely teen years. I gave him a look before turning my attention back to my daughter.

"They just make Mommy sad sometimes, Baby."

"Okay." She said, frowning.

"Seriously, Lucas?" Brooke asked, eyeing the healthy food on her plate.

"You two are pregnant, you need to eat healthy." Lucas said, casually.

"Ugh I'm so tired of being pregnant!" Brooke complained, stabbing her fork angrily into her green-beans and taking a grumpy bite.

I laughed before turning my attention to my almost-four-year-old daughter: "Sawyer Baby, tell Daddy, Grandpa, and Brooke how skating was!"

"Yeah, Baby Brooke, I wanna know how it went!" Brooke cheered.

"Oh my goodness it was FUN!" Sawyer babbled, animatedly. "I learned lots and Miss Kelsey said I was good at it!"

"Tell them what you learned, Sweet pea."

"Oh I learned a bunny hop and a spinny thing and a cool 3-turn and stuff! It was fun!"

"That's great, Hun!" Brooke said happily, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Good job, Princess." Lucas said with a huge smile.

"Very good, Sawyer! That's my awesome grandbaby!" Larry cheered.

We had a nice meal together, and listened to Sawyer babble on and on about her time on the ice. I had to remind her several times not to talk with her mouthful, which she would obey for a moment before thinking of some other exciting thing to announce.

Throughout the meal, I kept noticing Brooke wincing and squirming in her seat. I didn't really think anything of it for the time being as we listened to the tiny blonde baby drag on and on about how much fun she'd had. Eventually, Lucas stood and helped Sawyer out of her seat so that she could go with him to pick out a desert.

"Hey B. You okay?" I asked, reaching out and placing my hand on her wrist.

"I- uh. I feel weird." She gulped and peered at me nervously.

"Do you think it's time?"

"No- I dont know neither of us has experienced natural childbirth. So how am I supposed to know? It's probably not. Might just be gas."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Brooke nodded and went to stand up, but gasped and clutched her belly, clearly gripped in pain.

"Brooke! Brooke, come on let's get you to the hospital."

"Mhmm," Brooke whined through her pain, "it's definitely time."

_**Please review, thanks**_


End file.
